BATTLE lines have been drawn up, candidates have been selected and ballot papers have been sent out for the hotly-contested elections for Gloucestershire County Council.
The hugely significant local elections on Thursday, May 4 will decide which party leads the administration at Shire Hall for the next four years.
Buoyed by the party’s national success, the Conservative group will be keen to consolidate their zones of power in Stroud and hold onto full control of the chamber.
Meanwhile, their nearest challengers the Liberal Democrats and Labour are both mounting a strong campaigns to unseat the Tories for the first time in eight years.
This year the Green party – which has only one representative at Shire Hall - have again put forward candidates for all nine divisions in Stroud.
In Stroud district, the political power is currently divided between four Conservatives, three Labour, one Green and one Liberal Democrat.
In Stroud central the county’s only Green Sarah Lunnon is stepping down after eight years, allowing her colleague Eva Ward to try and hold the hotly-contested seat for the party.
She will go up against two Debbies – Chalford district councillor Debbie Young for the Tories and first-time candidate Debbie Hicks for Labour. Fighting for the Liberal Democrats is Steve Dechan.
With the Greens enjoying a health majority of more than 500 votes in 2013, the seat will be seen as a must-hold for the environmental party, which while increasing its share of councillors on Stroud District Council, had a disappointing night in the general election.
Moving outwards from the centre of Stroud, Labour veteran spokesperson for children and young people Brian Oosthuysen will be attempting to hold onto the Rodborough seat he has held since 2011.
Among his challengers are two candidates who he beat last time around - Philip Blomberg from the Green Party and Christine Linda Headley for the Liberal Democrats - who will have to overturn a healthy 43 per cent share of the vote.
Alex Bisset has been chosen to fill the candidacy for the Conservatives after the high-profile sacking of former Stroud District Council chairman Mark Rees.
Over in the Labour heartland of Stonehouse, the group leader Lesley Williams will again be fighting to hold onto her seat against an array of opposition.
This is one of only two seats in the entire district where UKIP have put forward a candidate. Here Glen Gogerly will face an interesting election test for the Brexit-centric party.
He will be joined in challenging the Labour leader by Green candidate Carol Jill Kambites and Liberal Democrat Sylvia Jean Bridgland.
Meanwhile, Ginny Smart has stepped in at very short notice to take on the Conservative position after the tragic death of aspiring young politician Ryan Davies last week.
Moving south from Stroud, another interesting seat will be in Nailsworth, where the tactical stepping aside of incumbent Conservative Dorcas Binns has freed up the position for her colleague Emma Simms to challenge for.
She will be looking to make a return to the political fold after suffering a surprise defeat to Labour and the Greens in the Nailsworth in 2015’s Stroud District Council election.
The Tory candidate will be trying to keep the division blue by fending off a challenge by her Labour’s Steve Robinson, who will see the division as one of Labour’s key targets this year.
They will be joined in the race by Liberal Democrat Colleen Angela Rothwell, the Green’s Sarah Blowers and independent challenger Robert Hansjorg Paterson.
Moving north east from Nailsworth to Minchinhampton, voters will see the district’s only head to head race between two female candidates.
Here influential Tory cabinet member Dorcas Binns, who has previously held the Nailsworth division, will be going up against upcoming Green Party candidate Rachel Smith.
Despite being a strong Conservative seat for many years under Tory Stan Waddington, the Greens significantly closed the gap in 2013, making this two horse race between left and right an interesting one to watch.
Moving north to another Tory stronghold, Keith Rippington will challenge for the Bisley and Painswick seat vacated by fellow Conservative Jason Bullingham, who steps aside after four years due to ill health.
He will face competition for the division from Liberal Democrat Alexander Findlay and Alan Mossman of the Green Party, which came in second place last year. This is the second Tory heartland in the district that Labour have not fielded a candidate for.
Moving right down towards the south, Stephen Davies, the current district councillor for Severn at Ebley Mill, will fight for the large division of Hardwicke and Severn.
This blue seat has been held by Conservative councillor Anthony Blackburn since 2009, who breezed past Labour to victory in 2013 with a resounding 52 per cent of the vote.
This time around Cllr Davies will face increasing pressure from Labour’s Liz Ashton, the Green’s Sue Hartley and Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Stayte.
Down in Dursley, the Conservatives and particularly Liberal Democrats will be looking to cause an upset and unseat Labour’s finance spokesman Steve Lydon, who is also leader of the co-operative alliance at Stroud District Council.
With only 50 votes in it last time around and more of Cllr Lydon’s responsibility focused at Ebley Mill this year, the seat will an election target for Conservative Loraine Vivienne Patrick.
Meanwhile Liberal Democrat George Butcher, who was one of only two from his party to win a seat in Ebley Mill two years ago, will also be looking to be elected county council for the first time.
With the Liberal Democrats the main force pushing to take control at Shire Hall, they have field candidates in almost every Stroud division and will be hoping for a strong show on the night across the county.
Key to that election push will be holding the Wotton seat currently held since 2009 by planning chairman John Cordwell, who face a third consecutive election of his county council career.
The Liberal Democrat, who won a modest majority against the Conservatives last time around, will again attempt to fend of competition from Tory Graham Smith, Labour’s Mark Huband and UKIP’s second candidate in the district, David Hinder.
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Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) is currently run by the Conservatives, who are by far the largest party with 25 councillors.
The Liberal Democrats are the second biggest party with 14. Labour have nine councillors, the Greens and UKIP have one, and there is one independent.
The election will be held on Thursday May 4, 2017.
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